Adam Denchfield, a first-year physics major, has been selected for a prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

He will join the Nanohybrid Functional Materials research program from Monday, June 8 to Wednesday, August 12, working with Angela Pannier, associate professor of biological systems engineering, and students from around the country. The Pannier lab is developing an innovative strategy for substrate-mediated gene delivery that takes advantage of novel nanostructured, slanted columnar thin film (SCTF) surfaces that can enhance transaction.

“It’s unusual for a freshman to be selected for an REU,” said John Zasadzinski, Paul and Suzi Schutt Endowed Chair of Science. But Denchfield has “energy, enthusiasm, and dedication. He also is doing a computational physics research project for me, learning about Density Functional Theory and generating the phonon modes of graphene. I think giving our students research experiences helps with the REU competition.”

Denchfield will receive $5,000, room and board, and travel expenses.